# Thanksgiving!



## shiny jiggly (Nov 27, 2008)

I know that not everyone lives in the US but it is still a nice holiday about food and being together with friends and family. 
What kind of stuff are you going to/have already eat? Who's coming over? What are you thankful for? Did you get a day or two off of school? Leftovers anyone? Do you do the wishbone thingy... and do you win? 
Answer as many questions as you want!

I'm going to have mostly the usual: Turkey, mash potatoes and gravy, *STUFFING*, doubled (or was it deviled?) eggs, pie, and some other stuff. It will be delicious.

My grandmothers are coming to my house (go figure).

I got lucky with the school day thing. Not only do I get tomorrow and the day after off, I also get the 1st off as well! 

I've done the wishbone thingy off and on through the years. I'm usually the only kid at the party so I usually don't have anyone to pull it with. I'm also pretty good at it. You just have to apply the right kind of pressure to get the big part. Of course, luck also comes into play because one side is usually a little weaker than the other.


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## Darksong (Nov 27, 2008)

I'll probably eating mashed potatoes, since I don't really like turkey D:

I have a ton of stuff to be thankful for, and not only that...

Thanksgiving is Rock Lee's birthday :3 But my sister will be more excited for that than I am.

Rock Lee is from Naruto, if you don't already know.

Mostly, I'm thankful for a friendly family, and I hope to give others things to be thankful for, too.

Last year, I did the wishbone thing, and I wished for potatoes. No wonder, I'm 1/16th Irish...


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Nov 27, 2008)

Turkey (!-!), apple pie (!_!)p, pumpkin pie (!.!)b, mashed potatoes (yay).

And sausage stuffing. (d:)


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

Man, in my country we have a holiday to celebrate the date a huge genocide was stopped, not to celebrate said genocide ):


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## Darksong (Nov 27, 2008)

Thanksgiving isn't to celebrate the stopping of a huge genocide (whatever that is.) It's to celebrate the time when the pilgrims from England and had a big feast with the Native Americans. :/


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

VPLJ is probably talking about the genocide that is the colonial era in the US.  VPLJ,  why do you hate the US so much?


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## opaltiger (Nov 27, 2008)

iphillip1 said:


> VPLJ is probably talking about the genocide that is the colonial era in the US.  VPLJ,  why do you hate the US so much?


We are Europeans, it's what we do.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

Now don't get me wrong here, I hate America in all of it's jack-assed, arrogant glory as much as the next European, but you guys have not right to be percecuting us for a genocide that was paid for and approved by who?  Was it the Europeans?  I beleive so.  ESPECIALLY Briton, Spain, Portugal, and France.  So stop.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

We didn't pay for your genocide of the Native Americans, the pilgrims did it all by themselves because they left England.
Where's Briton?

Oh and I dislike America because it's a shitty country.


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## opaltiger (Nov 27, 2008)

We aren't the ones who made a holiday based on greed and gluttony out of it; also I would like to inform you that the colonial powers constitute a tiny part of Europe and, although they have a lot to answer for, I have absolutely nothing to do with them and will carry on being condescending.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

opaltiger said:


> We aren't the ones who made a holiday based on greed and gluttony out of it; also I would like to inform you that the colonial powers constitute a tiny part of Europe and, although they have a lot to answer for, I have absolutely nothing to do with them and will carry on being condescending.


The holiday is based on the first Thanksgiving where the Pilgrims at Plymouth ate a giant banquet with Native Americans to celebrate the great harvest of their first year at Plymouth.  You, I'm sorry to say, are misinformed.


Vladimir Putin's LJ said:


> We didn't pay for your genocide of the Native Americans, the pilgrims did it all by themselves because they left England.
> Where's Briton?
> 
> Oh and I dislike America because it's a shitty country.


Yes, america is a shitty country, and Canada is awesome, because it doesn't go to war, etc.  However, that doesn't give you the right to make fun of it's people, holidays, etc. just because you feel like it.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

Just re-read iphillip's post and why the hell would Portugal have funded the pilgrims?
And yeah, we've had bad times in Yurp but we don't have Inquisition Day or anything like that.

edit: I can make fun of retarded holidays whenever I want. And why would the Indians ever accept a banquet invitation if the pilgrims were killing all their people? That's like Spanish people inviting Jews to eat kosher treats during the Inquisition (to re-use my example and to not use Godwin's law).


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## opaltiger (Nov 27, 2008)

> The holiday is based on the first Thanksgiving where the Pilgrims at Plymouth ate a giant banquet with Native Americans to celebrate the great harvest of their first year at Plymouth. You, I'm sorry to say, are misinformed.


This post informed me quite well, I think.


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## nastypass (Nov 27, 2008)

Vladimir Putin's LJ said:


> Man, in my country we have a holiday to celebrate the date a huge genocide was stopped, not to celebrate said genocide ):


Thanksgiving has nothing to do with celebrating genocide.  It was just one huge feast the pilgrims had (_with_ some of the people who would be victims of said genocide), that just caught on as a tradition and became a national holiday.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

Vladimir Putin's LJ said:


> Just re-read iphillip's post and why the hell would Portugal have funded the pilgrims?
> And yeah, we've had bad times in Yurp but we don't have Inquisition Day or anything like that.


Portugal did not, but they did have a colony in the Americas.  And ALL across the Americas there were Native Americans, not just in the land that is now the US.  Ever heard of Brazil?  They had natives, and the Amazon Rainforest, both of which are almost gone.  Now, are you quite done?


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

I know the history of my ancestors, and you can stop acting like you're fucking Einstein because you know a little about European history. The difference between Brazil, India, parts of Africa, _wherever _we Portuguese colonized and America is that we don't celebrate killing the natives every year.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

PZ Myers said:
			
		

> A gang of Puritan religious kooks who were too wacky and weird for their homeland emigrated optimistically to the new wilderness to the west, hoping to found a utopia for repressive fanaticism. They proved to be incompetent as well as crazy, and nearly died off completely in their first few years, but survived thanks to an affiliation with local tribes who were quite competent at successfully thriving in that environment, but were unfortunately strategically unwise in allowing these parvenu lunatics to persist in their midst.


The reason that the Pilgrims left Europe was that because of their different religous beliefs they were persecuted, so they had enough.  The reason they were inexperienced was because at that time in Europe there were almost no forests, and all of your food was either farmed on already open farm land, or, if you were rich, bought from farmers.  The reason that the natives WERE competent was that they had been doing this, and living in that manner for a few hundred years, and were used to it.  They were generally friendly to those that they didn't already have a bone to pick with, so they welcomed these European newcomers.


			
				Vladmir Putin's LJ said:
			
		

> I know the history of my ancestors, and you can stop acting like you're fucking Einstein because you know a little about European history. The difference between Brazil, India, parts of Africa, wherever we Portuguese colonized and America is that we don't celebrate killing the natives every year.


Actually, Thanksgiving was established as an American holiday be President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.  It was not the general peoples choice to have it as a holiday, it just was.  And then it was moved to extend Christmas shopping season.  We are not celebrating killing natives, we are celebrating the Pilgrim's first year in America.  And I happen to know more than a little about European history.


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## opaltiger (Nov 27, 2008)

> The reason that the Pilgrims left Europe was that because of their different religous beliefs they were persecuted, so they had enough. The reason they were inexperienced was because at that time in Europe there were almost no forests, and all of your food was either farmed on already open farm land, or, if you were rich, bought from farmers. The reason that the natives WERE competent was that they had been doing this, and living in that manner for a few hundred years, and were used to it. They were generally friendly to those that they didn't already have a bone to pick with, so they welcomed these European newcomers.


... you appear to have entirely missed the point he was making.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

> so they welcomed these European newcomers.


Who killed them all once they learnt how to harvest food.

Reminder that the Pilgrims were a bunch of genocidal, superstitious, illiterate rejects from something approaching a civilized society and America would be a much better place without their influence.



> And I happen to know more than a little about European history.


Lay it on me, charlie.

edit: re:Abe making this a holiday: one of the few bad things he did, then.


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## Storm Earth and Fire (Nov 27, 2008)

Why, pray tell, is this suddenly a Transatlantic debate?

Don't bother answering that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I believe I'll be cleaning the house. Then eating a bunch.


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## Kratos Aurion (Nov 27, 2008)

No one denies that the pilgrims fucked everything up for the original inhabitants, Vlad, but that still isn't the principle of why the holiday was declared (selective memory on Abe's part, I guess) and no one celebrates it for the pilgrims other than third graders because their teachers make them put on stupid pilgrim and turkey pageants. No one remembers the pilgrims, so it's really just hey-free-long-weekend-with-family-and-good-food-on-the-government-for-no-real-reason-day. I guess it kind of fails as a holiday, but still.

iphillip, you really don't need to be so defensive, though. Calm down.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

Vladimir Putin's LJ said:


> Who killed them all once they learnt how to harvest food.
> 
> Reminder that the Pilgrims were a bunch of genocidal, superstitious, illiterate rejects from something approaching a civilized society and America would be a much better place without their influence.


America would not exist as we know it without their influence.  It would have been entirely possible that Hitler would have taken over the world, and we would be under his son's dictatorship right now, and that would be simply fabulous, wouldn't it, VP?

And what do you want to know about pertaining to European history.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

> America would not exist as we know it without their influence. It would have been entirely possible that Hitler would have taken over the world, and we would be under his son's dictatorship right now, and that would be simply fabulous, wouldn't it, VP?


America already existed before the pilgrims went to fuck it up. And yes, America would have been populated with other people, or, dare I say it, the Native Americans would have been introduced to European resources by means other than slaughter and 'prospered' on their own.
Hitler would never have taken over the world. Had America not intervened, Russia would have eventually gotten the upper hand.
And if you're hinting even the slightest bit that I'm a nazi, you can fuck off.

Oh, I don't know, something you judge impressive I guess.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

Why do you insist that it was only the pilgrims?  It was EVERYBODY in America that killed the natives.  And, if it wasn't for the Nuclear Bomb-which was created bey Einstein in the US- then Hitler would have one.  I am only being defensive because he is being offensive, and I am protecting my country, persé(sp?).  I am not hinting that you are a Nazi, for my great uncle was a Nazi, and I would never insult you by making you be on the same page.

I believe that it was impressive that Spain and France were allies for a long time, even so much that they shared some land in the US.  I find it impressive that the Pope had to draw a line saying where Portugal could colonize and where Spain could colonize.  I enjoy the study of the medieval era, and kings like Constantine.  I find Roman and Greek history quite intriguing.  Hammurabi's code was quite messed up, with lower class having harsher punishment, etc.


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## opaltiger (Nov 27, 2008)

> which was created bey Einstein in the US


No, it was invented by a whole bunch of people working at the Los Alamos lab, most notably Oppenheimer.



> Hammurabi's code was quite messed up, with lower class having harsher punishment, etc.


While you are quite right, Hammurabi was not exactly in Europe.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

The nuclear bomb was used on Japan, never on Europe, unless I'm misreading your post (and yeah, Einstein didn't invent it himself. He also wan't born in America and went there only because of Hitler's election to Chancellor). I don't see why you'd have to defend your country just because you come from there, I'll be the first one to admit Portugal is pretty much a shithole nowadays.

I prefer the Victorians and the early 20th century myself, but Ancient Greeks and Romans are pretty groovy. The Renaissance was fine too. Hammurabi's Code isn't European history, but it's interesting.
Still, the things you mentioned are pretty general knowledge. By 'more than a bit' I was expeting some kind of obscure fact that would blow me away or something :v


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## Storm Earth and Fire (Nov 27, 2008)

Vladimir Putin's LJ said:


> Still, the things you mentioned are pretty general knowledge. By 'more than a bit' I was expeting some kind of obscure fact that would blow me away or something :v


Like that Hitler was a non-smoking, vegetarian, teetotaler?

Regina Victoria!


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

He wasn't a vegetarian, though he didn't eat much meat. He liked some types of sausage but didn't eat much other meat for health reasons.
And yeah, I knew that. He also only had one testicle and, according to his bodyguards, was a pretty funny guy.


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## Shiny Grimer (Nov 27, 2008)

wtf is up with the observations about Thanksgiving celebrating genocide? Yeah, there was a genocide of the native americans, but this has nothing to do with it. The first thanksgiving wasn't even celebrated by the Pilgrim settlers; it was in Florida. One guy named Squanto came and taught the Pilgrim settlers how to catch eel and grow corn, and also served as their interpreter. After the day of the first harvest, they had a festival to celebrate "yay food".

Actually, Thanksgiving as we celebrate today is something done by Lincoln to celebrate the Civil War being over, so it has less to do with the Native Americans than we usually think.

Honestly, I only like it because of the free long weekend.

Also it seems I arrived late. I made this when there were like 5 posts so yeah disregard this.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

Einstein's theories were what started the whole idea of the nuke.  I realize that he was German.  I feel like it is the right thing to do to defend America.  I do believe that America is shitty, so, yeah.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Nov 27, 2008)

But _why_ do you feel the need to defend it if you think it's shitty? I'd understand if I were comparing modern-day Americans to the pilgrims or if I called Americans the worst people on Earth or something but er.


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## Philly (Nov 27, 2008)

I'm not sure.  I should stop that.  Happy Thanksgiving.


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## Ayame (Nov 27, 2008)

Okay, okay.  The Pilgrims were kooks, I admit, but this isn't to celebrate any of their nonsense.  We're celebrating their feast that they had after a good harvest, which is a treasured time of cooperation in the past and if remembered overly-fondly, we are sorry but it's a cute holiday and it's come to mean sharing and generosity and all that.
Also being thankful for what we have and that we don't have to work as hard as others.


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